First appearance is important to me. If someone comes in with jeans on in an interview, piercings on their face, obvious tats, long fingernails, I would immediately reject them.
The interviewer OFFERED the coffee..candidate did not ask for it...interviewer can deal with the cup...sheesh...and I interviewed hundreds in my career.
I wouldn’t work for that guy if you paid me.
'Ol Trent must interview a lot of busboys and kitchen help down there at Xero Australia.
This may be one way to determine personality and fit for a company, but there are some many variables when it comes to interviewing candidates, that this alone is terrible as a “test”. One reason is that some shyer candidates don’t want to upset things or go off track in the interview, or just might feel nervous like they are intruding, may think its not their time and place to intrude in the companies operations by welcoming themselves to the kitchen area, etc. I understand the motivation for this test, but it is not a huge marker for a successful interview.
I conduct dozens of interviews a year and I have my own subtle tests, but nothing to abstract or any one that I call a deal killer. There are many things to consider about personality outside of the technical fit for the job.
I guess it’s an attempt at an objective assessment of character and attention to detail.
Do you ask what you should do with the cup? Do you offer to take any other empty cups back? Do you remember where the kitchen is? Do you eash the cup or just set it in the sink? Do you interact with any other employees while returning the cup? Do you thank your interviewers for their hospitality?
A measure of how much you will “own” and see through even the smallest of tasks.
Generally, I don’t like gimmicks in interviews. Such as the famous “do you absent-mindedly salt your meals” Ford or some famous industry captain used as their own weird benchmark for suitability. In my experience on both sides of the table, a surprising number of interviewers are looking for their next office friend/partisan. (Which is worse.)
I once went through an interview that was sort of a “good cop/bad cop” routine. It occurred to me later that my demeanor and responses should have been equanimous to both.
As “gimmcks” go, the “coffee cup test isn’t bad: a gentle test of how comfortable you are with the interview and how clear-headed/concientious you are under interview-stress. A decider between two equally strong candidates? Okay. But if it’s one of those hard lines that determine a candidate’s fate for any further consideration, I don’t think it’s a good one.
i’ve been on many interviews over the years.
except for interviews where they take you for lunch or dinner in the middle... i’ve never had a drink offered.
i don’t drink coffee (jittery) and i wouldn’t want soda (might burp)... so i’d go with bottled water, if anything. and in that case, i’d take the bottle with me unless finished (then i’d crush it and toss it).
I wouldn’t accept any drink. Then what, I fail the test because I didn’t take the test?
What is moronic is compressing an employment decision to a single question.
Morons. That is why we have janitors. Next.
I was once interviewed by a company where the very attractive interviewer had a very large amount of cleavage showing on her top.
I was annoyed by feeling I had to divert my eyes so much so…I finally asked if this were some kind of homo or sexual harassment test while pointing at it…
I did not get the job…not sure if that was why.
This boss has too much time on his hands if he’s thinking up these mind games.
This test would have a high number of false negatives.
I’m with a number of other FReepers here, I wouldn’t accept the offer of a drink in the first place.
And the offer of a drink or food in an interview would take points off of my opinion of the employer.
They might think they’re the only one doing an evaluation but they’d be wrong. :)
Never eat or drink during an interview. It can’t do anything positive for your chances to get the job.
I would get the job asking where the Scotch is....
There are numerous stories about types of people that leave grocery carts in parking spaces vs. those that take them back to the cart corral. Has the same feel.
I’ve always declined the coffee.